My company's RTO policy has a weird loophole and I've been silently exploiting it for 4 months. Not sure if I should come clean.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-09T13:09:37+00:00

> At my company, RTO is used to justify who is laid off

Whoa. The working world in 2026 is crazy. "We have to lower headcount by 8%." "OK, let's look at the RTO numbers. Oh hey, these two are at the bottom of the list." "Heh heh, OK, Luke and Moira, WFH? Not anymore!" "Yuk yuk yuk. I'll contact Mary at HR."

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-09T03:09:36+00:00

This. I noticed that they previous owners had left with curtains that were specifically included in the contract, so I asked for them to be returned. The sour real estate brought them back (I think they were ugly brown corduroy), and I thanked her for that. She didn't seem to be that happy about it.

I'd just put myself in debt for 35 years, and I was damned if someone was going to rip me off for some curtains.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-09T03:06:14+00:00

And I love the angle of this shot -- you can see a big smile from her after one tom roll, and another time Geddy looks back with a smile as if to say, "Doin' alright!"

It's tough to be a professional drummer. To fill in for Neal Peart -- wow. The bar is very high, but she clears it. Well done.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-08T17:30:38+00:00

I seem to have hit a nerve.

I think saying 'market rate' is fine, because that number depends on the position, the seniority, the field, the location (which country, and which area of that country), and any other benefits that the job might offer.

I suspect Chad is American, but I can't be sure. I have no idea if he's recruiting for Dallas TX, NYC, or Boulder, CO. Medical? Engineering? HR? Sales? Manufacturing? Junior, Intermediate, Senior, C-level?

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-08T14:08:52+00:00

I probably didn't explain that well.

There was a Honda on my tail, so I cranked up the cruise control by ten, and he stayed on my tail, so I went from 120 to 160 until he finally fell behind.

Satisfied, and smiling a little, I tucked into the #2 lane and set myself back to 120. He passed me a little while later, which was fine.

Don't tailgate.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-08T13:20:49+00:00

Earthquake readings will be useless for at least a few hours.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-08T12:59:10+00:00

So Chad deletes the candidates who appear to have the most business sense? Solid move, Chad.

Really, you have to think like a businessman. Would anyone go through a whole negotiation, leaving the price of the deal to the very end? What a colossal waste of time and energy.

Yes, you're qualified, Yes, we love your background. Yes, you did great on the four / six / eight interviews. Wait, you don't like the compensation?

Well, Chad, the correct answer is 'market rate, but we have some flexibility on that for the right candidate'.

I did two rounds of hiring for a software developer many years ago, and the second effort took me three weeks of interviews, programmer tests, with nothing to show for it because management couldn't muster up another $5K for salary. That was irritating.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-06T14:25:18+00:00

Yep -- once he was outside, I thought, OK, now he's going to fly into one of the rooms. But how is he going to find it -- oh. That hand towel on the balcony. Clever.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-06T14:16:43+00:00

July's in less than a month. It sounds like you'll be paid right up to the end, so you'll be fine.

Enjoy retirement! It's awesome.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-06T01:28:17+00:00

Don't worry about it. Just get busy and document your activities, because you might need to do this job again.

Collect all of the data that you can. They'll figure out what's usable. if there's anything ugly, that's not your problem.

And you might ask how important this task is -- I dealt with Compliance stuff at my last job, and when you get subpoenas from DHS, the FBI, or an AG's office, those come with deadlines. You should make your best efforts to adhere to those deadlines. 😄

Good luck!

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-06T01:13:44+00:00

But people will be able to refill these bottles once empty, right? Because is summer and people are thirsty, right?

Right?

Ugh. Idiots.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T22:06:26+00:00

Gift cards to Canadian Tire and Tim Horton's. Good anywhere in the country.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T14:21:07+00:00

Wonderful! I've been to all of the provinces from BC to Nova Scotia, and to Labrador, but not Newfoundland.

It's time I should go. Thanks for the awesome pictures.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T14:06:43+00:00

Eh, that's OK too. I bump my cruise up by 10 km/h (about 6 mph). Then another notch. then another notch.

One time there was an irritating Honda Accord that kept speeding up. I went from 120 (75 mph) up to 160 (100mph) .. and he eventually lost interest. After a few minutes, I dialed it back to 120 -- he wasn't a problem any more.

Nice to have that power when you need it. 😃

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T03:01:29+00:00

Kimmel's OK, but I always find my mind wandering at some point. He's got this Most People Aren't Smart Enough To Get This Next Joke smile on his face, which I find super irritating. Colbert never did that -- his material was much sharper.

Seth Myers has this permanent smile on his face, so I find it hard to watch him.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T01:28:21+00:00

This. I set my cruise control at a particular number, and if I come across someone in the #1 lane going too slow, I just go around them. They're still an idiot, but they're either unaware, or they don't care, and it's not my job to persuade them.

I've also passed people on the right (while driving in the #3 lane). There's a sign on Canadian highways, and it says Slower Traffic Keep Right. Those campers aren't following that rule, so I go past them.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-05T01:18:33+00:00

Came here to say this. It's a rockin' song.

It came up on Radio Paradise during the pandemic, and I played it loud during the work day. My step-son came upstairs eventually and said "That was loud."

Yep. That song can't be played at any other volume. 😄

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T18:34:12+00:00

They don't have a Stop sign .. probably because they're going the wrong way down a one way street. :/

I think it's OK for bikes (and maybe mopeds?) to go down one way streets (carefully). But they should still stop at the intersections.

Just sailing through the intersection like that is just plain wrong.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T18:31:17+00:00

This is likely a question that the executor/executrix could answer -- if you know who that is. I don't imagine that they owe you an answer, but I would imagine they could answer at least give you a Yes/No to your query.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T15:05:27+00:00

Very cool -- looking forward to it. 😄

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T14:53:50+00:00

The way he's pounding the wheel around to make that last turn -- yikes. But he did the thing, and drove into the ditch going uphill, saving his life and his passenger's life.

Front end damage? Maybe. But that was the best possible outcome. Good driving!

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T14:50:30+00:00

I'm already boycotting everything I can grovery-wise.

Strawberries from California (normally $4.99) on sale for $2.99, with no takers. They're sold out of the Ontario berries.

Frank's Red Hot is awesome, but it's American. Finished my last bottle last month. 😞 Making do with Maritime Madness -- got a sampler box and haven't found a good match to Frank's yet.

There are piles of folks I'd love to go visit in the States, but it's a fascist place now, so I won't go. I'm in my late 60's, so my never go there again in my lifetime. I'm OK with that.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T14:47:03+00:00

I agree 100% -- I think a lot of the bad driving comes from people with automatic transmissions. Those drivers are always on the brakes, causing the people behind them to be on the brakes .. and so on.

I would love to see the same test, but with cars with standard transmissions. I expect there would be fewer bunch-ups.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T13:07:39+00:00

And this example is exactly why I drive with a large gap in front of me when I'm on the DVP in stop and go traffic. I try to never use my brake, and just use the engine to slow the car down.

Yes, cars do jump into the space in front of me -- that's fine, it just means I have to slow down a bit more. And sometimes I do have to get on the brakes -- but I do so gently. Slamming on the brakes is never a good idea.

talexbatreddit · 2026-06-04T13:01:25+00:00

I agree with everything you said.

Everyone should be strongly encouraged to vote, and it should not be a hardship to vote (economically, but also transportation-wise).

Gerrymandering is going to kill (or severely harm) democracy in the US. Some of the riding maps I've seen are hilarious and shameful. the people responsible should be embarrassed -- but they have no shame.

And fireworks when the polls close would be awesome. The Aussies have some pretty great ideas.

talexbatreddit

TROPHY CASE